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Film Friday: The Corvair in Action: Feature anticipates later criticisms of the car

January 31, 2013

Today we’re taking you back to an era when the future of the Chevrolet Corvair was bright with the optimistic promotional film The Corvair in Action.

The feature dives into the development of the rear-engine compact before showcasing its ruggedness, capability and safety. Yes, safety -- footage shows how stable the Corvair is on the test track while the voiceover stresses how difficult it is to roll the car over even in extreme driving situations.

In fact, the film seems to answer much of the criticism advanced by self-proclaimed consumer advocate Ralph Nader in his 1965 screed Unsafe at Any Speed -- a book published five years after the feature was produced.

Anti-Corvair partisans will likely take this as a sign that the General knew the swing-axle car was flawed from the start. In their eyes, The Corvair in Action is nothing more than an exercise in damage control.

Supporters will use the footage of the Corvair safely tackling rough roads and tricky obstacle courses to support their contention that the vehicle was simply misunderstood by the public. (Supporters will also note that the Corvair was totally, 100 percent exonerated and that Nader’s claims -- the claims he made his name on -- were pure hogwash—Ed.)

Either way, the footage of the Corvair fording a river is pretty compelling -- and film has us looking at the little car as a fun, affordable classic for our dream garage.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too.
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